Reversible loading and unloading conveyer



Y (No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

J. M. DODGE. A REVERSIBLE LOADING AND UNLADING GONVEYEB" N0. 402,811.

Patented May 7, 1889.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. 1V1. DODGE. REVERSIBLE LOADING AND UNLOADING GONVBYBR. No. 402,811. Patented May 7, 1889.

NI/ENTOR WTNESSES:

ATTORNEY i UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

JAMES M. DODGE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE DODGE COAL STORAGE COMPANY, OF NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT.

REVERSIBLE LOADING AND UNLOADING CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,811, dated May 7, 1889.

Application filed October l5, 1887. Renewed March 20, 1889. Serial 110,304,053. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES M. DODGE, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reversible Loading and Unloading' Conveyers; and I do hereby declare that the following` is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this application.

My present invention relates to an improvement in an apparatus or contrivance adapted to convey coal, culm, and other material from a given source of supply and pile the same into an extensive heap, and to also, by slightly varying the action of the machinery, recon- Vey such material from a pile or heap to a given point or locality for removal and transportation.

In another application filed by me, Serial No. 250,316, I have shown and described all the features of such a contrivance or apparatus, and the present one is substantially the same, except with reference to the means by which the chain conveyer is rendered capable of operating upon the material to be handled in both directions-that is, so as to convey it from a locality of supply and pile it up, and to also remove it from a pile to a given point; but in order that my present invention may be perfectly understood, I will now proceed to describe the same as applied to substantially such a contrivance as is shown and described in my other application, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, in which- A Figure 1 is a top or plan view of a chain-conveyer contrivance made according to my present invention, and showing by dotted lines certain adjustments of some of the parts thereof, for a purpose to be presently described. Fig. 2 is a side view or elevation of said apparatus, also showing in dotted lines certain other adjustments of some of the parts, for a purpose to be presently described. Fig. 3 is a detail or partial top view of some of the parts, drawn onv an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a side view y of some 0f the parts seen in side elevation at Fig. 2, butV drawn on an enlarged scale.

In the several figures the same parts will be found designated by the same letters of reference.

A represents an ordinary railroad trestlework, on which is constructed a track, CL, to constitute such an elevated railway as is usually employed where coal and other material are to be dumped in heaps or piles from trans portation-cars.

At any desired point in the length of said elevated railway is constructed a suitable frame-work, b, located near the bottom of the trestle -work, within which are mounted in suitable bearings the horizontal drive-shaft of a sprocket-wheel, c, (that is designed to opcrate the chain couveyer,) and the verticallyarranged shafts of the two sets of horizontal chain-wheels or idlers d CZ and e e, in contact with the peripheries of which wheels the drivechain runs under certain circumstances, which will be hereinafter explained.

D is an ordinary cable-chain provided with suitable nights or carriers, f, and passing at the upper end of the run of the chain around a suspended chain-wheel, B, the shaft g of which is mounted in a V- shaped frame, h,the apex of which is flexibly connected with a swivel, t', which is mounted in a cross-head, E, all as clearly shown. Said cross-head E is connected by threaded shafts or rods J with a somewhat similar cross-beam, L, that is suspended by means of a loop, o, and through the medium of a block and tackle from the upper end of the pole or mast C. This mast or pole C rests at its base on the ground, and is maintained in the proper erect position by means of suitable guy-ropes or draft-cables, which extend from its upper end to suitable anchorages at the surface of the earth, and one of which, 7c, extends from the top of the pole obliquely downward and directly backward, so as to pull in direct opposition to the draftstrain of the chain conveyer, while the other two guys, Z Z, extend downward obliquely and laterally, as shown.

The suspended cross-beam L is supported by means of one end of a rope or cable, as seen at p, that passes upward and over a suitable pulley or sheave-block, and thence down- Ward, as seen at q, to any suitable anchorage or temporary holdfast, and each of the screwrods .l is provided, immediately in the rear of the cross-'imam l., with a nut, ynait-he external portion or periphery ol which is toothed to form a sprocket-wheel and to engage with an endless chain belt, ill, all as clearly shown, one o1' the said nuts and toothed devices fm being .formed or provided, as shown, with a hand-wheel, u.

l represents an ordinary elevator designed to elevate or carry oit' from the locality oi the lower end ot' the run ol the chain conveyer any material brought to such locality by said conveyor' and to discharge the saine into cars on the elevated track d l'or transpoi-tation.

At Fig. t? the dotted line l. 52 i5 -l ii'ldieates the prolile of a pile el? material heaped up by the action ot' the chain conveyor l) when the latter is run in the direction indicated by the arrow in iull lines at said lfigure, while the dotted lines at Fig. l represent the shitting or adjustment ot' the pole or mast and the upper end of the endless chain conveyor laterally .i n both directions, t'or a purpose to be presently explained; and the dotted position of the chain conveyor-ami the adjustable devices by which its upper end is supported (seen at Fi 2) illustrate a vertical and downward adjustment oi' the eonvcyer and a reversal. olf its direction of travel, as indicated by the dotted arrow at Fig. 2, tor a purpose to be presently described.

In the operation ol a contrivancc such as shown in the drawings and thus tar described, for the purpose otl rcniovin coal or other material from a given locality at which it may be dumped from the elevated track o, the parts being all set and operated in the position shown by full lines in the drawings and the drive-wheel c rotated by any suitable motive power in the proper direction, the material dumped at the vicinity oi the lower end ot' the chain conveyor.' D is scraped or carried away from the point of discharge by 'he action of the lowerset or run ot' flights, j', and is gradually heaped or piled up into a mass ot' extensive proportions, as indicated by the profile dotted. line l 2 2l iat Fig. 2, and for the purpose oi' increasing the nlagnitude of the pile or heap without changing` the position of the lower end of the chain conveyor the mast or pole C may be :lulually and periodically shifted in the directions and to the positions indicated by the dotted lines at Fig. l., the chain oi the conveyor under such circumstances of adjustment being brought into lateral contact with the peripheries of one or the other set ot' horizontal chain-wheels or idlers c7 d and c e.

lllhencver it may be desired to use the contri vance shown for the purposes ot reconveying the pile or mass el' material :'Lccumulated back to the locality from which it was originally taken, it only necessary to reverse the position ot the coiWeyer-chain l), so that its ilights fwill stand in the positions indicated by the dotted lines at Fig. and to then reverse the direction of travel or run of the conveyor-chain, as indicated by the dotted arrow at said figure, when the lower run of the Iiightsf will then operate to carry or convey the material at the top surface of the pile backward to the locality of the lowermost chain-wheel, c, from whence the discharged and accumulating material may be elevated by an ordinary elevator, P, (or other suitable means,) and discharged into the dumps or cars on the elevated track a for transportation. During the use thus of the endless chain conveyer for the purpose of carrying oft thematcrial composing` the pile the upper end ot' said chain conveyer has to be gradually lowered until at the finishing of the operation of the removal of the material it may have been brought down into about the horizontal position indicated by the dotted lines at Fig. 2. To effect this lowering of the upper run of the endless chain conveyer and to at the Same time keep the conveyor chain sufliciently taut,the cross-head L, with its attaclnnents, is permitted to descend gradually or periodically by gravity by letting up on the blockand-tackle fixture, or letting out the rope or cable q thereof, and at the same time turning, by means of the hand-wheel n, the threaded or nut-like sprocket wheels m (which are banded together by the chain belt M) in such manner and to such extent as to cause them to take up or draw backwardly in a proper manner the screw-rods J, and to thus shift the position of the cross-head E and the wheel B, suspended therefrom, in such manner as to prevent any undue slack in the conveyerchain. Before reversing the direction of run ot' the chain conveyer from the condition illustratcd by the full lines at Fig. 2 the suspended wheel B, together With its axle g and `t/shaped suspended devices 7i, is turned over or made to perform about a half-revolution about the axis of the swivel il as an axis of niotion, which brings the nights f of the chain D into the reverse position from that shown in 'full lines at the upper part of Fig. 2 and into the position indicated Where said chain and flights are drawn in dotted lines, and of course at the same time the lower portion of the endless conveyer-chain is similarly reversed in position either by turning over, by hand or otherwise, the shaft on which the drive-wheel c is mounted, or (in case said wheel be keyed on the end of the drive-shaft) by simply unshipping the chain from said wheel after having suitably slacked up the chain and reversing its position on the wheel.

In the contrivance shown and described in my other application it is necessary, in order to use the apparatus for the two purposes of accumulating and removing piles oi material, to have the entire run of the chain conveyor made with two sets of flights-one adapted to operate in one direction for the purpose of piling up the material and the other to operate in the opposite direction for the purpose of: removing the pile ol material.

IOO

IIO

In my present improved contrivance, it will be seen, I dispense with the eXtra set of flights, make the chain conveyer after the usual simple pattern or fashion, and render it capable of use for the two purposes mentioned by turning the whole conveyer device about a half-revolution on an imaginary axis about coincident 'with the line passing from end to end through the double run of conveyer-chain. By this improvement I am enabled to not only simplify the construction of the chain conveyer, but to very materially reduce its aggregate Weight, which in the case of a suspended conveyer-such as used in both the present and my other contrivance-is a great desideratum.

The details of construction by which I am enabled by means of the swivel-like action to turn or shift the upper end of the suspended chain conveyer without derangin g or interfering with the suspending mast or pole and the devices depending therefrom will be best understood by reference to the enlarged views of these devices seen at Figs. 3 and et.

I have not shown or illustrated any mechanical appliances by which the turning over end for endof the shaft of the drive- Wheel c, or the shifting of the chain on the drive -wheel, may be conveniently accomplished, as I do not deem this necessary; and I Wishit to be understood that, while I have shown the swivel device illustrated as a convenient means for making a half-turn in or adjustment of the endless chain of the conveyer at either of its ends, the pith of my invention resting in a reversible chain conveyer having a single series or set of flights, thus adapted to operate in either of two directions for either one of the two purposes hereinbefore described.

What I therefore claim as new in this application, and desire to secure by Leiters Patent, is

In an apparatus or contrivance for conveying coal and other material from a given source of supply and forming the same into an extensive heap or pile, and for also reconveying such matterfrom the pile or heap back to a given point or locality for transportation, the reversible chain conveyer, in combination with means whereby said conveyer may be bodily reversed, substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of October, 1887.

JAMES M. DODGE.

In presence of- EDW. W. RHODES, M. GETZ. 

